Cyber Surfer Sakura
by Adesso e Fortuna
Summary: It doesn't matter... I'll love you always, regardless of what illusions they throw at us, whether virtual, in reality, or within ourselves.
1. Chapter 1: Card Captor Sakura

Picking up her baton, she handed it to the cheerleading coach. Sakura wiped a brow of sweat from her forehead, shading her eyes as she looked at the burning sun.  
  
"It's perfectly balanced, as usual." Mrs. Lisi said, with a small twist of her mouth.  
  
Blushing and bowing respectively, Sakura replied, "Thank you Lisi-sempai,"  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey Dad, what's that?"  
  
"It's a VR video-game. State of the art actually." Fujitaka said, as he plugged in a few wires.  
  
"What does it do?" Sakura asked, slipping off her bag and opening the fridge.  
  
"Sakura sweetie, pass me the manual on the table." Fujitaka said, waving toward the oak coffee table.  
  
"Sure," The girl said when she reappeared with a piece of bread in her mouth.  
  
"It's an adventure game simulator." Fujitaka continued, rummaging though a box, "I believe it's called an RPG in the modern lingo."  
  
Sakura let out a small giggle as she picked up the blue booklet. Her Dad was never the most modern adult she had known.  
  
"Hey monster, how's it going?" Touya said as he peeked over his younger sister's shoulder.  
  
"Don't call me that!!" Sakura yelled, hitting him on the head with the booklet.  
  
"Ow!" Tory yelped, "Jeez, you really can't take a joke, can you?"  
  
"Play nice you two." Fujitaka muttered as he rummaged through the hallway drawer for a screwdriver.  
  
"So, what are the details of your latest gadget?" Touya asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.  
  
"You put this visor on," He said, holding up what seemed to be an over- sized pair of shades.  
  
"Wow," Sakura said as she look it from her father and nearly dropping it. The thing weighed about ten pounds. "We're supposed to put this on?"  
  
"That's the idea, yes," The older man said, placing his elbow on the shelf.  
  
"Let me try it on." Touya said, taking it from Sakura and hooking it up. Sitting on the easy chair, he turned it on and laid back.  
  
Tip-toeing over to her father, she whispered, "How does this thing work again?"  
  
"Don't worry." He said, smiling. "See that monitor over there? It feeds all the visual data into the visor, the sound effects come from tiny earphones on the side."  
  
Nodding, Sakura went back upstairs. The simulator of her father's was freaking her out.  
  
~*~  
  
Tossing in her sheets, Sakura wound her legs between her blankets, unable to sleep. Surrendering to her temporary insomnia, she walked herself downstairs, giving her cramped legs a stretch on her way down the stairs.  
  
Turning her head passed the corridor, she crept into the living room, trying not to wake her brother and father up. Her mother had disappeared years ago. No one had been able to prove that she was dead though. Her father had said that she died in a burning building, but Touya had other ideas. He was convinced that she'd run away, not looking back to her husband and children.  
  
Sakura had never been convinced of this. She was a pure-hearted optimist, always believing in herself and those around her, battling virtues with the best of them.  
  
She took a step back when she saw that the simulator was still on, emitting an eerie blue light that cast shadows across Sakura's well furnished living room. It was vibrating, a sound that was much like bees traveled across the room to her ears.  
  
Moving across the room, Sakura felt passive. Something was pushing her towards the visor sitting on the table, a force that could easily been a hand on her back. Picking up the visor, Sakura set it on the bridge of her nose, the heavy metal making her feel like she was about to suffocate. Feeling it turn on, she felt the vibrating sensation become stronger, buzzing in her head like a resonating hive of insects  
  
Suddenly, she felt her mind being telegraphed to a completely new place, moving her from her living room to a grassland outback, decorated with valleys, rivers, and animals that couldn't have possibly been from Earth. Sakura let out a gasp. The place looked so real, so alive, as though it was just as life-like as Sakura herself.  
  
The command display appeared, asking for voice verification and name. Sakura stated hers as she saw a new game be created and story explained to her.  
  
"You are a novice game magician, your master has been destroyed and now it is up to you recapture all his data-base powers. They are called 'cards', and the world you now inhabit is called reed.com, a planet filled with mystics, legends and dangerous people. It is up to you, as a 'card captor' to seal these cards, and return peace to this planet. This is your duty, Card Captor Sakura."  
  
~*~  
  
RPG stands for role-playing game in v-game nerd speak. VR is virtual reality. 


	2. Chapter 2: Let the Journey Begin

Since I've had a few reviews asking telling me I shouldn't I have used the US version of their names, I've converted it all to the jap. I do agree with some of you that Nelvana seriously screwed up the US dub, and I think that the jap names do sound better (Tomoyo fits the character so much more than Madison) and so, here is the second chap. If I missed anything, tell me!  
  
~*~  
  
Jumping out of the way of a fireball, Sakura darted around a rock pillar, a large creation that towered over her by what seemed like miles. Looking around the battlefield, with it's pink, marble-like sky and scaly dinosaurs roaming the landscape were searching for her, Sakura let out a sigh. She had really ticked them off when she had run off with their egg, a glossy and smooth one that looked transparent almost. She could see the baby in the shell, curled in the fetal position with its eyes closed.  
  
Ducking when one of the beasts spotted her, she hit the floor before the ball of gas spurting flames managed to hit its target.  
  
Putting the egg in her sash, she drew her key from the nape of her neck, turning it into a staff. She didn't have any special abilities yet, but she was able to turn her staff into a sword, the default ability she had chosen from the menu.  
  
The blade projected from the end of the staff, forming a lovely pink handle that shortened when needed. Leaping from harms way with the help of her 'jump' boots, she managed to easily defeat the monsters by positioning all her opponents in a line, which she crushed when she set the pillar she was cowering behind earlier tumbling onto the unsuspecting creatures. She knew they wouldn't be hurt, just unconscious. The worn and moldy structure wasn't hard enough to do any real damage.  
  
"What? Hey!!" she cried as her sash was snatched from her waist by a large red phoenix. "Give that back!" She screamed as the bird flew off, carrying her leather sash in its large talons.  
  
"Here goes nothing," Sakura muttered as she detached the blade from her staff. It immediately erected itself into its original state, leaving the metal dagger lying in Sakura's palm. Using it as a spear, she javelined it towards the bird, the metal piercing it's leg. It cried out and dropped her sash in a river, about 200 yards from Sakura's current location.  
  
"No!" She yelled, as she sprinted towards the water. Diving in head first, she spied her sash caught on an under water plant, the branches threatening to snap against the current. Stroking her arms in the direction of her latest catch, she grasped the belt part and swam to the surface, sputtering as she took in a lung full of air.  
  
~*~  
  
"Damnit!" Syaoran yelled as he threw his visor towards the wall. The girl had gotten away with the egg, something that he needed desperately to capture the Water Card. Actually, it was rumored that exact card he wanted was trapped inside the very river Sakura had just jumped in. Syaoran knew this and smiled gravely to himself. Nothing would get in his way of defeating the game and receiving the ultimate prize.  
  
~*~  
  
"So, there's some sort of strange spirit that lives in the river?"  
  
"Yes," The old villager said, nodding his head, "It's lived there for a while now, never appearing until the moon was full. When it did however, it usually drowned anything in sight, plunging the victim into a vortex of water."  
  
"Oooh." Sakura muttered. She looked at the sun, fading beneath the horizon. It'd be setting soon, and she'd have to get home. How long had she been here anyway? She'd spent the entire day exploring the small town, asking people and looking in places to see if she could find any answers to her question. The only one who had supplied anything substantial was the old man she was been talking to.  
  
"Arigatou." (Thank you) Sakura said, as she bowed and turned to leave.  
  
"The pleasure's all mine." He replied, bowing in return. "Oh, and be warned...."  
  
Sakura turned around at this. "Nani?" (What?)  
  
"There is someone else who seeks the same things as you. This person may not be friendly, but heed this: be careful on your journey."  
  
"Hai!" (Yes!) Sakura said, nodding.  
  
Her next stop would be the small shrine near the river bed, a place rumored to be uninhabited and haunted. Haunted by who, no one could say, but still, Sakura didn't want to risk leaving the place unchecked. Stepping up the creaking steps, Sakura knocked on the door, rust and dirt caking themselves onto her gloves.  
  
Blowing off the dust, Sakura jumped as the door swung itself open, with no welcome in sight. Clutching her staff, she walked in cautiously, scanning the run down place with heavy, alert eyes.  
  
Jumping at what sounded like footsteps, Sakura swung herself towards the staircase, spying a dark figure leaning against the banister.  
  
"Who are you?" Sakura demanded. She wasn't in the mood to be scared or timid. For some reason, she felt that there was a lot riding on this game, whether it was real or not.  
  
A dull ray of light appeared as a slab on concrete fell from the roof, the beam illuminating the figure's face. He turned to looks at her, his eyes gleaming and mouth formed in a rather arrogant smirk. He brushed away a strand of brown hair from his eyes and winked. As quickly as he had appeared, he leapt off, disappearing in the shadows. 


	3. Chapter 3: Lunar Heaven

Found out what Mr. Kinomoto's first name is!! Haha, no more mister stuff...  
  
And I know I have several complaints that the chaps are too short. But I just don't want you guys to wait a week for a two thousand word chap, you know? It's easier to manage in smaller bits for me, and I'll try my very best to update as much as every other day, so make sure you keep coming!!  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey kaiju!" Touya called, looking around the house. After several more moments of searching, he muttered, "Where are you?"  
  
"Down here Touya!" Fujitaka called from below.  
  
"Where is she?" The teenager asked as he walked down the stairs. Feeling rather frustrated with the disappearance of his sister, he sent a cross look at his father.  
  
"Right here." He replied, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder. She was still in the game, three hours after her school started. With her head cocked backwards and mouth slightly open, Sakura seemed to be sleeping soundly, even through the insistent hum of the modem.  
  
"Lucky kid." Touya said with a small smile, and looked at his father. Stepping out the door, he cast a last glance at his sister and headed out the door.  
  
Fujitaka laughed softly to himself. Sure, Sakura got to stay away from the real world, but she'd have to get out eventually. And when she did, she'd come out shocked and disoriented. The longer she stayed inside, the more danger she was in of collapsing.  
  
"Just come home soon Sakura." Fujitaka whispered, and kissed his daughter on the cheek.  
  
~*~  
  
Walking slowly up the rotting staircase, Sakura let out a yell when a step caved in and plunged her boot into the wooden surface. Yanking her foot back up, she shrieked as she saw a bug the size of a large eraser attach itself to her sole. Stamping it onto the already rotting stairs, she plummeted through the floor as the boards collapsed beneath her stomping.  
  
"AAH!" Sakura yelled as she landed on what seemed to be a pile of straw and dirt. Dusting off her pink battle costume (Tomoyo makes an entrance with her stunning designer line, don't worry) she walked down the hallway, which was coincidentally lit with fire-torches. Wondering where the heck she managed this time, Sakura was stunned to find herself so cynical. She wasn't always this insincere, was she?  
  
Wandering down the dank corridors, she spied a large door. Grasping the copper handle in her gloved hand, she knocked three times, hoping she'd find something down here.  
  
Even though she'd been trying to achieve the effect, she was still surprised when the door swung forward like the main entrance, without the help of any living thing. Stepping through the doorway, she cast her glance around. The room was dark, with a fountain in the middle. It was amazing, six-feet tall and made completely out of glass, the water so pure and clear, you could see your reflection in it. It was such a beautiful thing Sakura was tempted to take it home. In the main dish, was an erected bowl that was spilling water in even liquid waves that created ripples in the dish, from the top, came a spurt of water, spilling ribbons of diamond water that fell into the bowl below.  
  
And even past that, was a small pond, a miniature lake that had a waterfall in the background, the stuff spurting from an unknown source filled the pool with creatures that resembled fishes and frogs. Above this, was a pale girl with long purple hair.  
  
"Who... are you?" Sakura said as she stepped past the fountain and into view of the girl.  
  
"Hello." She replied lifelessly, her eyes less vivid than the poor of water she was floating above.  
  
"Are you... the card?" Sakura asked bluntly.  
  
"Card?" Never once did her gaze reach Sakura's. She kept staring at the fountain, her eyes trained to the thing directly in front of her. "I am not a card as you say. My name is Tomoyo, and my function is a save point."  
  
"Save point?" Sakura asked, reaching a hand out towards the girl.  
  
"Would you like to save your progress?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
Stretching herself on her tiptoes, Sakura felt magnetized to the other, as she strained to wake the girl up from her placid coma-like state.  
  
Tomoyo's eyes snapped to life, as the two dropped into the dark abyss below.  
  
~*~  
  
"Where are we?" Tomoyo asked, as Sakura helped her up.  
  
"I don't know. Say Tomoyo, how did we just fall through water and land in air?" Sakura asked, looking around.  
  
There was the pool above their heads; the roof resembling the surface of a lake, except everything seemed to be upside down. There they were, with their feet on dry land with water as a sky.  
  
"I've never been here before." Tomoyo replied, looking around the room. Crafted from only marble, the black and white checker boarded floor was huge, with a roof that had paintings on it.  
  
"Those paintings..." Tomoyo said as she walked around. "They resemble DaVinci's style but the theme is so much like the nineteenth century... it's eerie almost."  
  
Sweat dropping and looking surprised at the girl's knowledge, she quickly changed the topic. "Do you know anything about this water spirit I've heard so much about?"  
  
"I'm sorry, but I do hold a map and equipment change." Tomoyo said, smiling at Sakura.  
  
"Equipment change?" Sakura asked, eyes widening. She didn't like the sound of that.  
  
"I designed them myself too!" Madison chirped. "It's essential that you change for each new stage you reach, so that's why I guess I'll have to accompany you on your adventure."  
  
"Do you do that often?" Sakura asked as she tugged on the handle on the door.  
  
"That's some door." Tomoyo said ignoring the question. Smoothing out her powder white dress, she walked to Sakura's side to get a better look.  
  
She was right. It was as large as the room, covered with mosaics of angels and fairies. Each figure with gold and silver lining smiled at Sakura and Tomoyo softly, seeming to reach out to them from their cloudy background.  
  
"It's lovely." Sakura said, holding her breath.  
  
"Ready to go through?" Tomoyo asked, joining Sakura with the door handle.  
  
"Let's get to it." Sakura said with a smile.  
  
After a few moments of tugging, the door churned enough on its hinges to allow the girls enough space to walk through. Stepping through into the intense sun, they soon were swallowed by the bright light, laughing along the way. 


	4. Chapter 4: The One and Only

"I get colder when the rage in me subsides" - Silence  
  
~*~  
  
"Is that..."  
  
"A mine cart?" Tomoyo finished.  
  
Both Sakura and her were standing at the mouth of a cave. Gazing at the huge opening, Sakura said, "Can you see the bottom of this place?"  
  
"No, I can't." Tomoyo said. Clapping her hands together, she added enthusiastically. "But anyway, it's time for you to suit up."  
  
"Suit up?" Sakura asked, surprised.  
  
"Of course, now get ready because I'm loading your new outfit." Tomoyo grinned. Within a few moments, Sakura's indicator beeped. Looking at the watch on her hand, she saw a display pop up.  
  
"Wow, it's kind of... extreme." Sakura said incredulously.  
  
"It should make it so no one can spot you in the dark." Tomoyo explained.  
  
Sakura did a pirouette in her outfit, which was completely black. Perched atop Sakura's head, was a painter's hat, framed with a dark grey lining. With a black body suit underneath, it was framed with a dark blue trench coat that fell to her ankles. Reaching from her fingertips to elbows, glossy black gloves enveloped Sakura's arm, tinted with grey.  
  
"It's a bit depressing though. Personally, I like pink a lot more." Sakura said, blushing a little.  
  
"You look very sophisticated Sakura!" Tomoyo objected, holding up a video camera.  
  
"A camera in a video game?"  
  
"Of course this isn't really the actual footage." Tomoyo said, turning the lens over in Sakura's direction,  
  
"When I get out, I can adjust it to any angle I want. If we happen to live in the same city, I'll invite you over and show it to you sometime!"  
  
"So you are a real girl then..."  
  
"What made you think I wasn't?" Tomoyo wondered.  
  
"Anyway, shouldn't we do something about that dress?" Sakura asked, eyeing the ball gown.  
  
"Of course."  
  
After a few annoying beeps, Tomoyo was standing with her dark purple hair tied in a French braid that flowed down her back, also looking very classy in a robed gown, the dark colors bringing out her eyes.  
  
"Wow! You look great Tomoyo!"  
  
"Now that it's over with, let's get going." Tomoyo said, climbing into the mine cart.  
  
"Are you sure it's safe?" Sakura asked, looking at the rusted wheels.  
  
"It's fine. Now get in." Tomoyo said, helping Sakura over the edge.  
  
They both let out a yell as the cart unknowingly gave a lurch forward, the small iron cart slipping down the rail. Within a few seconds, they were speeding down the track, the rocky terrace and suspicious pipes mounted on the roof were passing by in blurs.  
  
"This is fantastic." Sakura muttered.  
  
"Look at the roof! Those pipes..." Tomoyo said, pointing.  
  
Traveling so quickly, it looked like there were words formed in the purple pipes, small sentences that lingered for a second before being replaced by a new one.  
  
Hitotsu  
  
"I think I'm seeing something." Sakura whispered.  
  
Dake  
  
"This is getting scary." Tomoyo said, holding onto her friend's arm.  
  
Anata mo  
  
"Tomoyo, I think we're in trouble." Sakura said, squeezing Tomoyo's entwined fingers.  
  
Hitorijime  
  
"The only one..." Tomoyo said, as her neat braid was whipped into the air. The cart was falling...  
  
"I have all to myself." Sakura said, as she activated her boots and leapt to a ledge, bringing both her and her friend to scramble onto a ledge.  
  
~*~  
  
"She's talented..." Eriol said, looking past the crevice.  
  
"Stay down, they might see us." Syaoran said, shooting the other an acidic look.  
  
"Don't chafe your ass dimwit, they can't see us. It's too damned dark." Eriol sneered.  
  
"Why do I even ibother/i to hang around you guys?" Kero asked, his golden eyes flickering in the darkness.  
  
"Because you have nowhere else to go?" Yue countered.  
  
"Everybody shut the hell up and follow them!" Syaoran snapped, leaping out of the opening.  
  
"Better out there than this stickin' crack in the land." Yue quipped, as he too jumped out.  
  
"Dumb asses." Eriol muttered as he followed them.  
  
"And we haven't even made a plan yet..." Kero said disapprovingly a he went to make sure the others didn't kill themselves.  
  
~*~  
  
"Tomoyo-sama! Are you alright?" Sakura asked, holding her arm out for the other to balance on.  
  
"I'm fine Sakura, but where did we land?" Tomoyo asked, looking around.  
  
"It's not that I'm worried about." Sakura said, shining a light onto the rails above, "It's how we got here that's the problem. Somebody cut open the track."  
  
The metal was illuminated by Sakura's light, a small spell she had picked up when she was doing battle with the dinosaurs from the plains. Ending it with a small flick of her hand, she stared into the inky black around her. "Well, any ideas?"  
  
"Remember my map?" Tomoyo asked. "Well, it's got a compass that tells us that direction we're supposed to go."  
  
"That could lead us straight into a trap!" Sakura said, sweat dropping.  
  
"But it's the only thing we've got right now." Tomoyo said, sending her a pleading look. Obviously, she didn't want to spend anymore time in an underground cavern.  
  
After Sakura relented, Tomoyo pulled out the golden compass, a perfect needle pointing in the direction the tracks had been heading. Summoning her light spell again, the two walked closely together as they wound their way through the tunnels. After what seemed like only a few minutes after they had set off, they were stunned to find four figures directly in front of them.  
  
"You're the boy I saw in the shrine!" Sakura yelped. She and Tomoyo were seriously jumpy after falling several kilometers in a single day, being thrown off a metal cart and stranded in a large, dark tunnel with only a cursed compass to guide them through.  
  
"That's right. Now give us the egg and be on your way before you start making us angry." Syaoran said stoutly.  
  
"Don't you need it to enter the water gate?" Sakura asked, glaring at the four boys.  
  
"Indeed we do." A silver-haired teen said, stepping forward. "Now hand it over before you start wasting time."  
  
"We don't need little girls getting in our way." Eriol said scowling. His gaze softened slightly when he set eyes on Tomoyo.  
  
"This egg is not yours. So aren't we the ones who should be angry?" Tomoyo said bravely, staring at the others.  
  
"So get out of our way!" Sakura yelled, stepping in front of Tomoyo. Quietly she whispered, "Stay back, this could get messy."  
  
"I'm with you all the way Sakura." Tomoyo replied, "Just be careful. We don't know who these guys are..."  
  
"Are you sure?" Yue asked, an ivy flame dispersing from his hand.  
  
"Get ready..." Sakura said, assuming a fighting stance.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
Smirking maliciously, Syaoran said, "You better watch it. After all, what can you do for yourselves?"  
  
"I'm getting sick of you already." Sakura snapped. She hated being treated this way, and there wasn't a possibility in the world of her putting up with it without a fight.  
  
"Let's get it on then." Yue hissed, aiming his ball at directly at Sakura.  
  
This was the moment she had been waiting for. She kept getting better at using her sword and coincidentally found that it had the ability to reflect magic attacks with it. Stricking the ball when it came, it ricocheted off her blade and flew to their captors.  
  
"You did it Sakura!" Tomoyo said happily as they ran past the flambéed boys.  
  
"That can't last very long." Sakura said. "They'll be after us again."  
  
"What, you can't rejoice in small victories now?" Tomoyo demanded as they rounded the corner, still following the direction of the compass needle.  
  
Sakura laughed at this. Tomoyo was right after all. Why shouldn't she enjoy the time she had here?  
  
"There's the exit." Sakura cried as they blew through the cave entrance. They were both amazed by the scene that greeted them. It was an old-age English town; the small shacks lining the brick streets were all slightly run down.  
  
"How did we just go from Candian grassland to eighteenth century town in only an hour?" Tomoyo demanded.  
  
"I have no idea, but it's possible because we're in a video game." Sakura reminded.  
  
"Ready?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
"Alright!" Sakura said happily, as they walked hand in hand to the village. 


	5. Chapter 5: Stranger

"You guys." Kero said as he rubbed his hair dry. "Are pathetic!"  
  
"Is it OUR fault that she was able to deflect the attack?" Yue snapped, picking ashes off his clothes.  
  
"And she still has the egg to." Syaoran muttered, flopping onto the bed.  
  
"We'll find them." Eriol said glumly, leaning against the door. "But we really don't have a good single idea on how to get the damned egg."  
  
"We never had any in the first place." Kero said stoutly.  
  
this comment was received by three pillows hitting him in the face. Within a few moments, the four boys were on the floor winded, as they tried to beat the crap out of each other.  
  
~*~  
  
"Excuse me, can we check in tonight?" Sakura asked.  
  
"Depends on how much money you have." The man with the cigar said briskly. He was reading a newspaper, seated on a stool with his legs crossed.  
  
"Money?" Sakura asked dumbly. This place had its own currency?  
  
"This stuff." Tomoyo whispered beside her, holding up a gold coin.  
  
"Oh!" Sakura said, emptying her pockets on her the desk. "Well, I got a few of them when those guys in the cave dropped them. It's weird, I can pick things up without even reaching down."  
  
This caught the desk clerk's attention. Immediately, he sprang up and said, "That's just enough!" And reached to the small pile of coins on the counter.  
  
"Now wait just a minute!" Tomoyo objected, slapping her hand onto the desk before his hand even reached the surface. "Your sign says fifteen gold, there is easily three hundred here. Don't even try to con us."  
  
"Two nights then." He said gruffly and sat back down.  
  
Both the girls climbed upstairs, not having anything to carry since video game characters can never get their clothes dirty. Flinging their door open, they both collapsed in a pile on their beds.  
  
"That was quite a trip." Tomoyo said breathlessly.  
  
"You said it." Sakura replied, burrowing her face into the pillow.  
  
"Doing magic really takes a lot out of you," Tomoyo observed.  
  
"Yea..." Sakura said softly, sinking into a light nap.  
  
"G'night Sakura-san..."  
  
"Sweet dreams Tomoyo-sama."  
  
~*~  
  
Creaking the door slightly open, the brown-haired girl silently let herself out into the moonlit broadways, creeping slowly into the small alcove of trees beside the inn. Letting out a sigh the minute she was out of sight, she sat herself on a rock, trying to make sense of things. Goodness knew she was exhausted, both from magic and travel, but she wanted to go home, darnit. She just didn't know how. Tomoyo didn't seem in much of a hurry to leave, so she hadn't told Sakura how to yet. They'd both fallen asleep too quickly.  
  
Now, with her back against a lovely beech tree, she leant back and fiddled with her watch. It held menus, idons, stats (167/180 hp remaining), and a list of abilities. Sakura had already mastered all the spells, memorized the world map, and stocked up on all essential items such as revivals, but now, all she felt the urge to do was save, leave, and take a break. The game was physically draining.  
  
"If you're wondering how to get out, go under your menu and select options." Kero said, appearing behind her. It was totally dark, so he risked nothing by talking to her. After all, she hadn't heard him before.  
  
"What?" Sakura said, bolting up.  
  
"There's nothing tow worry about. I'm just a game guide." Kero said gruffly, shading his eyes to the intensely glowing moon. "And if you want to save, just push the green button."  
  
"Oh!" Sakura said happily, "But what will happen to the game if I leave?"  
  
"Since this is interactive, the game will move on while you're gone. However, since you are the main character, you can choose whether we shouts simply pause, or proceed."  
  
"Well, it's not fair to make people wait for me, so you guys can continue." Sakura chirped, setting up the sequence.  
  
"Don't forget to execute the settings before leaving." Kero said, turning his back and heading out the forest.  
  
"Thank you!" Sakura called after him, as she too, moved to leave.  
  
~*~  
  
Sakura and Tomoyo were closer to finding the water card then Syaoran and Eriol were. By asking around their village they were able to find out that the man by the shrine was indeed correct. Hydra as they called her, only came out at full moons, and killed most of the animals around her when she emerged.  
  
"This is getting to be quite the mystery." Tomoyo stated when they sat down with their drinks.  
  
"Strawberry.." Sakura murmured as she took a sip.  
  
"Sakura!" Tomoyo snapped, looking at her friend. "Are you listening to me?"  
  
"Yes, I am." Sakura said quietly. "What are we gonna do Tomoyo?"  
  
"Well, I just hope you're feeling better after your trip back home last night." Tomoyo said, looking at Sakura.  
  
"Yea! I feel tons better, thanks." Sakura said happily as she took their empty cups and tossed them away. The two then got up, starting their investigation by asking the people around them. Turning up nothing, the two headed to the river, hoping to find something there. Upon their arrival, the two sat themselves beside the shore, watching the blue water roar past them, foaming in the creek as fish splashed through the surface.  
  
"Ready to go back to the hotel room?" Tomoyo asked, breaking the silence.  
  
"Yea..." Sakura said, as she helped the other up and dusted off her pants.  
  
As they trekked back, Sakura had a nagging feeling in the put of her stomach. She still wasn't convinced about the 'game guide' the other night, and was starting to feel queasy. Heading into her room, Sakura once again fell into a deep slumber, dreaming about the boy she had seen earlier that day...  
  
~*~  
  
I know, rather uneventful chapter, but I thought I'd clear up a few details in this one. 


	6. Chapter 6: Acid Water

Don't be surprised to find that both Sakura and Tomoyo gain new skills in each chapter. In vid-games, through each stage you pass, you'll usually get something new, lik e anew staff, upgraded weapons, new powers, etc. This might clear up a few things for the ppl who don't usually know much about v- games can find a few things out here. And don't sneer at this obvious snobbery. I've gained it.  
  
~*~  
  
"Sakura!!" Tomoyo screamed as the soared across the rising tide. "Sakura!! Where are you?"  
  
They were on the riverside, testing out their new powers they had attained in the cave. Since they were both at the same level, Tomoyo had decided to take the two on an aerial flight. A maneuver that resulted in a complete power depletion, dropping Sakura into the river.  
  
"What's all the racket?" Yue demanded as he ran onto the waterside.  
  
"Stay out of this!" Tomoyo yelled passionately as she turned to scan the surface again, the guilt mounting at the pit of her stomach. She kept thinking 'stupid me... now Sakura's in danger and I can't find her!' Tomoyo dropped back onto land, falling to her knees and choking on tears.  
  
"Hey, c'mon, idiot boy and golden girl can find your friend." Eriol comforted, placing a hand on Tomoyo's cheek.  
  
"Watch your ass Eriol." Syaoran replied as he took off into the air, without the visible help of magic or wands.  
  
"Who's he calling golden girl?" Kero asked, stepping into the sunlight.  
  
"I've no idea!" Yue replied lazily, shieleding his eyes from the glare coming off Kero's metallic yellow jacket.  
  
Suddenly, they were all cut short by Sayoran's yell as a thick liquid arm shot out of the water, wrapping itself onto Syaoran's leg and plunging him into the depths.  
  
"Syaoran!" Yue yelled as he saw his friend being swept away.  
  
Launching herself upwards, Tomoyo careened after the drowning boy, trying desperately to keep up with the rapid current. Dipping her hand into the icy water, she managed to grasp onto Syaoran's hand, nearly buckling. Careening off balance, Tomoyo felt another thick limb of water explode from the surface, as it attached itself to Tomoyo's body, yanking her along with Syaoran, deeper into the black sheets of water.  
  
~*~  
  
Coughing, Sakura pulled herself up, trying to stand on the abandoned mound of land she was on. She seemed to be in an under water cave, with large stalactites hanging from the roof. The large points of mineral seemed to be larger than she was. The thin river running along the middle seemed to be an aqua blue, as though it had been pollutioned by chlorine. Hacking up again, Sakura tried to pull in a few lungfuls of salty air, searching for a way out.  
  
"No way out but to follow the river. It's got to carve out an opening of some sort." The girl muttered to herself, taking out her staff as she waded through the shallow water. Luckily, the water was transparent, as the cave was lit, and Sakura would easily be able to see any water dwelling creatures swim up to her. With the water climbing up to her waist, Sakura apted to travel alongside the walls, clinging to the sandy sides.  
  
Without warning, a large purple being lifted from the bottom centre of the river, cascading long shadows over the cave. Preparing for a battle, Sakura tensed as she saw the large, whale-like creature rise and turn to her, flashing its ivory white eyes as it winked at her. Gasping at the sudden gesture, she took a step closer for a better look. It was indeed a whale, with a thick powerful tale and a strong fin protruding out of it's back, the long, spindly arc running along the length of its back.  
  
"You know..." The whale said, it's deep voice echoing throughout Sakura's entire body, making her shiver. "It's not safe for someone like you to be in here."  
  
"Where am I?" Sakura wondered, looking at the whale.  
  
"Name's Socrates." It boomed, "And if you like, I'll give you a ride. Looks like you need it too. The acid in the water is eating at your clothes."  
  
Sakura looked down. The tips of her trench coat had been reduced to tatters and the edges of her boots seemed to be foaming. Shuddering and thinking what it could do to her bare skin, she accepted and climbed onto her new friend's back, nearly sliding off.  
  
"Careful. Lean your back against my fin and prop your foot on my side on the side ones."  
  
Obeying, Sakura slightly adjusted her body, relieved that the new position was much more comfortable and more able to keep her in place. "Excuse me, Socrates-san, but why does the water eat away at my clothes?"  
  
"If you wait a while, you'll see that it actually glows, which is why it looks light blue. Be careful in here though, it can get pretty dangerous, as there isn't just me who's in here."  
  
"Oh..." Sakura said to herself, as Socrates took a bend and soared easily through the water. At this, Sakura realized he was more wide than thick, and if she were able to look at him from the front, it'd resemble the side view of a pancake. Which made him very susceptible to attack.  
  
"So, you just give people rides?" Sakura asked.  
  
When Socrates didn't answer, Sakura looked up to see the cave darken, making it able to see that the rock spikes hanging from the roof glittered as though they were dashed with sparkles. Looking down into her reflection, she saw that the water indeed glowed in the dark, the pale light tossing blue wrinkles of light onto the cavern walls.  
  
A breeze ruffled Sakura's hair, as she looked up to see the sun shining. She was outdoors now, breathing fresh air and looking down exasperated at her eaten away clothing. Tomoyo would have a fit if she saw her like this.  
  
"Something's coming." Socrates said quietly, just loud enough for Sakura to hear.  
  
"Wh-?" Sakura uttered, but didn't complete. As Socrates's body rocked to the side, Sakura was mercilessly thrown off, landing into the freezing water. It was so cold, that within short seconds, her lips were blue and her teeth were beginning to chatter. Not only that, but the water was much deeper here than in the cave. Slipping through the tide, Sakura felt her body being pulled deeper into the water. Looking up, she saw several small, imp-like figures surround her friend Socrates, biting and snapping as to turn the water red and make Sakura's eyes widen with fear.  
  
"Socrates! No!" Sakura shouted under water, the words forming garbled sounds. Sakura kicked against the force pulling her down, but to no avail. Looking towards the bottom, she saw something had attached itself to her heels, sucking her towards an unknown destination.  
  
Flailing desperately to the surface, Sakura's energy slowly drained from her, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she fainted in the water.  
  
~*~  
  
Syaoran tried the strong wraps around his hand. They were green, and greatly resembled seaweed, but he recalled that seaweed didn't have the metal properties of iron-steel and didn't tighten voluntarily against his wrist.  
  
In front of him was a naked spirit, in the shape of a mermaid, covered under a thin robe.  
  
"Answer my question!" Syaoran demanded. "Are you the water card, and why have you brought me here?"  
  
Blinking her crystal eyes, she smiled at him, her form looked as through it were made of liquid. Had the dungeon he was in been any brighter, he would have known that light would travel directly through her, so it was impossible to see her shadow.  
  
"I am. And you are here to lure something very precious to me. See, you didn't need the egg here, because I let you in. But..." She stained the last word, knowing it was about to start something very essential. "You don't have the egg. Therefore, I have no use for you, other than bait."  
  
"Bait?" Syaonran spluttered, waking up the sleeping Tomoyo beside him. "Whom the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"This girl." The water card replied, waving her hand over a basin of water. It splashed and for a moment displaying Sakura, swimming around a large gate, depositing the dinosaur egg she had retrieved earlier.  
  
Looking at Syaoran's shocked face and Tomoyo, who looked only half awake, Water transparently laughed. "And my name is Hydra." 


	7. Chapter 7: My Loving Heart

I'll be honest here. I'm really used to using the US names of CCS, and I've had to go back and correct the mistakes I've made with their names. I've already been caught by quite a few of you on the previous chapters too. *grins sheepishly* Anywho, ON WITH THE CHAPPY!  
  
~*~  
  
"Don't worry about it... kaiju." Touya added the last part slyly, as he wiped his face with a napkin and placed the coffee mug on the coaster.  
  
"Damn-" Sakura covered her mouth and looked embarrassed. Apparently, the short time she had spent with the boys in the cave had rubbed off on her. She was speaking on more vulgar terms now that she was back from the video game.  
  
"Don't worry about your language, just take care not to swear around Pops." Touya said calmly.  
  
"Touya, am I going to get in trouble in school for not being there?" Sakura asked, eyeing the lemon in her teacup as she tossed a suspicious glance at her brother.  
  
"You have a pile of homework in the living room, a phone message from your math teacher, and a large phone list of friends wanting to know where you are." Touya said passively, knocking a an ashtray off the table onto the trolley rack.  
  
"Since your shift isn't even close to over..." Sakura said, getting up and leaving a tip on the counter.  
  
"See you later squirt." Touya said with a smirk. "Oh, and keep in mind that everyone you meet in the game is a real person. Most of them live in our town too."  
  
Sakura nodded at this and slammed the cafe door closed. She was anxious to get back... after all, she was devastated when she found out that she had to be pulled from the game, even though Syaoran and Tomoyo were still being held hostage. Fujitaka had specifically told her: only six hours at a time, and at least an hour break between. Now that her 'break' was over, she rushed home, hopping the bus, all the while praying that her friends were safe.  
  
~*~  
  
Tomoyo silently scanned the crevice in which she was trapped. It was an air pocket that she was hanging from, a dark murky depth below her. Just one snap of her binds and she'd plunge straight into the surface.  
  
Sliding in from the water, Hydra materialized in front of Tomoyo, facing the girl.  
  
"Won't be long..." She hissed quietly, forming another basin with her hand and projecting another image of Sakura swimming towards them.  
  
Syaoran looked past his matted curls and at Hydra with haunted eyes. He whispered to himself as he slipped out of one of the wraps. "No, not long at all."  
  
~*~  
  
Sakura held her breathe for a few more moments before bursting into the small air pocket. Spitting out salt water, she splashed towards a rope of seaweed hanging from the roof, hoping it'd be strong enough to lift her. She wanted out of the lake.  
  
Snatching the slender green rope hanging from the roof, Sakura hoisted herself up lightly, trying to get in as much air as possible. Entwining her legs with the surprisingly dry piece of seaweed, she looked up to check if her weight was putting any strain onto the roof. However, something altogether unexpected happened, nearly making Sakura fall off with shock. A huge dark opening had formed onto the roof, surrounding the seaweed she was hanging from. Before she could even register what was happening, she felt herself being pulled up into the hole with momentous speed. Grasping the plant tightly in her hand, she clung tightly as air whipped her hair as Sakura was pulled through the slime-covered tunnel, speeding past crustaceans, crabs and clams. As the saw an light filled ending come nearer, Sakura felt a shudder as she looked up at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly, when she was completely through, she was flung through the air, appearing on one side, then being dragged once again upwards to a halt.  
  
Whimpering and slightly shaken up, Sakura's eyes adjusted to the dim light and cast a glance around her new surroundings. There were Tomoyo and... the brown haired boy from the cave and shrine. Squinting, Sakura tried to get a better look at the boy, just barely making out his ruffled brown hair and piercing chestnut eyes. Craning her neck to the side, she then noticed what seemed to be some sort of fairy... made completely out of water.  
  
"Greetings." Hydra hissed in her now familiar tone. "Took you long enough to get here."  
  
"Who are you?" Sakura demanded, glaring at her captor.  
  
"The elusive water card that all of you had been dying to meet." Hydra said with a smirk as she circled the brown haired boy and leaned into his ear, "Isn't that right Syaoran?"  
  
"Get away from me." Syaoran snapped, looking angrily at Sakura.  
  
'What I'd do?' Sakura thought to herself, only slightly remembering her brush off in the mine cave. Turning her attention to her friend, she said, "Tomoyo, how'd you get down here."  
  
"After you fell, I tried to save you. But, I ran out of energy so Syaoran and his friends helped me. He got captured, I tried to help him, and I ended up getting caught too."  
  
"...Hai? (Hai means to affirm something too)" Sakura asked, sweat dropping slightly.  
  
"What she's saying is that even though you nearly set us on fire in the mine tunnel, we were willing to forgive and help you." Syaoran growled.  
  
"Ah." Sakura said, smiling weakly.  
  
"Enough of this." Hydra said calmly. "It's time to assure whether or not you're worthy of the title as Card Captor, and to see if you'll be able to command me and my brothers."  
  
"One female card and three males?" Tomoyo wondered, "What a rip off..."  
  
"There are things to even it out." Syaoran grumbled, thinking to himself and about to ask why this was relevant.  
  
"SILENCE, ALL OF YOU!!" Hydra screamed, forcing the others to shut their traps and stare in flabbergasted amusement.  
  
"How do you expect me to fight you in this place?" Sakura asked, breaking the silence.  
  
With a wave of her and without a word, Hydra transported them all into the cave with the acidic water Sakura had been in earlier.  
  
"Let's begin." Hydra said with a small twist of her lips. Summoning the power that abled her to manipulate water, the Water Card kicked up a protective shield of twirling water. Through the small spaces between the funnels of twirling water, Sakura and Tomoyo could see that Hydra's face had changed from the cocky grin she had displayed earlier. Sporting a look of rapt concentration and powerful fury, Hydra raised her hands, churning a small hurricane in Sakura's direction.  
  
The girl definitely hadn't been expecting anything like that. Without being prepared, she was hit square in the chest with the air knocked out of her. Flying backwards from the sheer force of it, Sakura had fallen headlong into the acidic water; tasting small chemical bites on her face and hands. Resurfacing, Sakura charged, sword in hand and magic spurting from her fingertips.  
  
"Sakura, don't!" Syaoran yelled, knowing the effects of pure energy on a Data Card.  
  
Slicing her metal blade into the air and unleashing an arc of pink light directly at the typhoon, Sakura was again thrown back when her attack was harmlessly reflected back at her. Sakura thought she was about to sick, her forehead had a nice even cut on it and her stomach felt like it was weighed with lead. Shakily getting up, Sakura tried to recollect herself and think of a new strategy. After her fogginess had cleared away, Sakura saw that Hydra was readying another attack. Lifting her arms to her face, Sakura prepared to block. She still didn't know what she was getting into, and she wasn't about to come in completely unprepared.  
  
Syaoran jumped in and lept with Sakura in his arms as a large chunk of explosive steaming foam erupted underneath his feat. Crying out as they bothed crashed into the sandy walls, Syaoran realized that small sparks was slowly replacing Sakura's burnt outfit. After the light from Sakura's body had diminished, Syaoran saw the new outfit Tomoyo had uploaded in the nick of time. Where Sakura's long trench coat once hung, was a top that tightened directly under Sakura's breasts, then flared expansively until it reached her knees. In the centre of this techno skirt was a gap that revealed a pair of shorts, with boots that reached her knees. Completing this whole ensemble was a headband perched atop Sakura's newly styled hair (no different than usual just blue hair ties). Sporting a golden fringe, the new accessory had fins on each side. Every single tip, edge, ending of stretchy fabric was lined with gold, and even looked more noble with Sakura's newly awakened face and hardened expression. Our girl wasn't about to give up, not like this.  
  
"If you ever get the chance to Hydra..." Sakura said quietly as she stepped back into view, "Tell your brothers and all forces that oppose me that... given all eternity and granted every single power of the heavens, you will never be able to defeat my loving heart."  
  
Raising her staff in its original form, Sakura said quietly, "Like the shooting star every single destiny can become, fly to me, the power to defeat the fools that stand before me."  
  
Spurting from the tip of her staff, dazzling lasers began taking shape out of the air, dancing around Sakura and her closed hand. Magic, unlike any other, began tingling through the air, racing to meet its commander. Feeling the power of a true Card Captor burning through her vains, Sakura swung her staff down, ejecting a single bird of light towards Hydra. Frozen with shock at the thought of underestimating the girl in front of her, Hydra, lowered her shields and accepted defeat, already knowing there was know way she could ever escape from the winged beast that was flying towards her. As the bird touched hydra, the scene was swallowed up in light, the only visible thing being Sakura's exhausted figure falling to the floor. 


	8. Chapter 8: Love is Fire

Walking into the room, she nearly choked when she inhaled a lungful of volcanic ash, spluttering and sweating in the heat. Feeling her bare feet burn and callus on the overheated floor, she yelped when she realized that there were painful burns on her arms and legs. Her hair was singed and her eyes were watering from the warm air. Where was she anyway?  
  
It wasn't until now when she began walking that she noticed the rolling hills of red sand and large round sun. It was so hot... it was like the air was on fire. Sakura let out a scream as she felt a wave of melted sand formed into lava mount higher in front of her.  
  
With a smacking sound at the bottom of her feet, Sakura felt sand climb up to her knees, sucking her down into the white tundra. 'White sand.' Sakura thought to herself, trying not to move or panic. Taking in a breath, she tried to slowly wiggle herself out. It didn't work at all; just make the small white grains climb up to her shoulders. Sakura looked up to see the white wave descending onto her, feeling her fall deeper and deeper. She was about to be buried a thousand meters below!  
  
~*~  
  
"Syaoran, wake her up!" Tomoyo begged, looking down at her friend's sweaty and tormented face.  
  
"Just wait until she wakes up," He replied darkly, never even turning his gaze at either of them. Dream sequences freaked him out in truth.  
  
"Sakura, please get up!" Tomoyo yelled, reaching to her friend's should and shaking her awake.  
  
"Nani?" Sakura whispered quietly, still looking sweaty and asleep.  
  
"You worried me for a minute." Tomoyo said quietly, looking down at her knees.  
  
"We're back at the riverside." Sakura observed, getting up and looking around.  
  
"Know where we're supposed to go yet?" Syaoran asked.  
  
"Dude, she just woke up, give her some freaking slack." Yue snapped, biting a piece of chocolate off a candy stick.  
  
Syaoran held out his hand, demanding a bite of the candy stick. Yue relented and handed it over, nearly tearing when Syaoran took a chunk of gummy sugar off the end.  
  
"And I thought I was the only one addicted to sugar." Kero said, shaking his head.  
  
"I thought you liked pudding." Eriol said out loud,  
  
At this, Kero's face conspicuously brightened at the mention of pudding. "Speaking of which."  
  
"We were just at the food store!" Syaoran yelled, obviously upset by his friends' casualty.  
  
"I do where to go." Sakura said, rubbing her eyes awake, "But I never got your name."  
  
"Actually, I never got most of your names either." Tomoyo said pointedly, suggesting that she didn't want to travel with strangers.  
  
"Eriol's the dumb ass, Kero is the pansy, and Yue's the wise-crack." Syaoran said simply, pointing at the others.  
  
"And you're." Sakura murmured.  
  
"Syaoran the stick-up-the-ass." Yue finished for her.  
  
"What'd he tell you?" Kero said with a grin, as he took Sakura's hand and yanked her up.  
  
"You were the game guide I met the other night." Sakura said softly, recalling the sound of his voice.  
  
"Nice to finally meet you face to face." Kero said with a smile.  
  
"Now let's get going!" Sakura said loudly with as much bravado she could muster. She swung her staff in the direction she had seen where the Fire Card was located. She nearly shuddered when she recalled his large centaur shape, burning brightly in the sky.  
  
~*~  
  
"Exactly how long have we been walking?" Tomoyo demanded, wiping off a stream of moisture running down her face.  
  
"Only eight hours," Eriol said with a smile, "Here, you can hitch a ride on my back if you don't lean on me."  
  
"Be careful not to gag from the smell either." Syaoran said with a smirk.  
  
"How come you guys are so rude to each other?" Sakura asked, walking next to Kero, "But are so nice to us?"  
  
"It's just something we do to pass the time." Kero said with a shrug, "We're friends in real life too. I met Eriol and Syaoran on the soccer team."  
  
"And before that, Kero and I grew up together," Yue said with a grin.  
  
"Unfortunately, Eriol and Syaoran never get along." Kero stated with a smirk, "So they're always yelling at each other when we're playing games."  
  
"This is a lot nicer than getting sand in my shoes," Tomoyo said with a small sigh as she pressed her cheek against Eriol's back.  
  
"I said stop leaning!" Eriol grumbled as he ambled along with the dark haired girl on his back.  
  
"I'm surprised you haven't fallen over yet," Syaoran noted.  
  
"Syaoran, I'll always be the better man when it comes to ladies," Eriol replied with his British accent.  
  
"I'm. hungry." Kero pouted as he heard his stomach grumble.  
  
"Suck it up princess, there's a bar over there." Yue snapped.  
  
Sakura leisurely strolled up to the door with the rest behind her. She was enjoying their company and the bright sun, something she hadn't had much of since the snow in her hometown started settling in.  
  
"Ok doll, I'll buy you a drink." Eriol said as he slipped Tomoyo off his back.  
  
"I'll be there in a second, I just need to show Sakura something." Tomoyo said as she gave him a thank you smile and turned to her friend.  
  
"We'll save you a seat." Syaoran said stiffly as the four boys headed inside.  
  
"I think he likes you." Sakura said with a smile.  
  
"Never mind that." Tomoyo said, dismissing the ropic as she held up her watch. "But I think you're getting hot in all that spandex, so we'll give you a costume change."  
  
"Nothing too showy please." Sakura said, watching Tomoyo scroll through various outfits. Most were hardcore style, ranging to frilly ball gowns to bizarre costumes to leather battle suits.  
  
"I don't like those styles anyway, so don't worry about it." Tomoyo said, still immersed in finding the right outfit. After a few moments, she finally decided on an outfit and yelled, "Here we are!"  
  
With a beep of her watch and a wave of her hand, Sakura stood in her newly formed outfit, sporting the oriental genre. With a delicate red paper fan in her hand with the picture of a cherry tree on it, Sakura slightly fanned herself as she felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she tugged the buttons in the shape of pink petals on her silken Chinese jacket. Rearranging the yellow scarf that was tied around her waist so she was more comfortable, she stole a nervous look at Tomoyo, wondering what her friend would think.  
  
"You look lovely Sakura." Tomoyo said with a smile.  
  
"You've changed too." Sakura said with a smile as she assessed Tomoyo's brilliant blue kimono that stopped at her knees. Wrapped around the entire fabric was the etching of a phoenix, its wings winding around Tomoyo's body.  
  
"Nice bird design." Sakura commented as the two linked elbows and opened the door.  
  
"Designed it myself." Tomoyo chirped, "Now let's get going!"  
  
~*~  
  
Syaoran's sword snapped through the air, nearly making Sakura lose consciousness. With a sharp lunge twist of his blade, he sent her blade spinning in the air, landing several feet away from her feet.  
  
"You need to be more aggressive in your defense, and put more of your weight into your charge." Syaoran said gruffly, as he yanked her sword from the dirt and handed it too her.  
  
'Girls can where jeans, cut their hair, where shorts and boots, 'cause it's ok to be a boy. But for a boy to look like girl is degrading, because you think that being a girl is degrading. But secretly. you'd love to know what it's like, wouldn't you? What it feels like for a girl?'  
  
"Sakura, you alright?" Syaoran said as he waved his hand at the girl's face, which revealed her to be in deep thought.  
  
'When you're trying hard to be your best, could you be a little less?'  
  
Snapping out of her trance, Sakura directed her attention back to the boy who was trying to teach her to properly handle a sword. Not that it was a necessity, but he seemed to worry about her, in his own, subtle, very hotheaded way.  
  
'When you open up your mouth to speak, could you be a little weak?'  
  
"You know, this really isn't necessary." Sakura stated, as she took the staff as it changed to its original form.  
  
"Prove it to me then." Syaoran said as he assumed his favorite stance. "Show me that you don't need it."  
  
'Do you know what it feels like for a girl... what it feels like in this world?'  
  
With a spin of her hand, the crystal clear blade ejected itself from Sakura's hand, the weapon shimmering in the pale moonlight in all its glory.  
  
"Nice upgrade." Syaoran said calmly, not even fazed.  
  
Wordlessly, she pointed her blade at him, the silent acceptance of his challenge.  
  
Swinging the blade at her unblocked knees, Syaoran was slightly shocked when she jumped clean of the attack, flipping over Syaoran's back with ease. Moving with agility, she quickly maneuvered from harm's way, taking Syaoran into a metal gridlock as Sakura clenched her teeth and stood her ground.  
  
"We'll stop when one of us gets hit with the blade." Sakura said quietly as she flung him off and charged without a wasted motion.  
  
Unfortunately, Syoran greatly underestimated Sakura, nearly losing his balance as he battled her off, watching with stunned surprise as she slowly rose from defense to offense.  
  
"This is where you lose." Sakura whispered as she threw Syaoran back several meters, not even bothering to fix the strand of hair that had loosened from one of the bundles on the side of her head. "And also where you learn I will never need to prove anything to you, or anybody else who doubts me."  
  
'She's. noble." Syaoran thought, knowing that whatever was about to come, was something that he just might not be able to handle.  
  
Slipping the Data Card from her pocket, and looking at it for a minute, she wasn't surprised to look up and see Syaoran charging her while her attention wavered. Immediately activating its ancient powers, she felt a vein of adrenaline flow through her body as several funnels of water circled at her feet. With water that glowed filling up the crystal of her blade, and emitting power that rippled through the air, Sakura too lunged, the two flying towards each other.  
  
Within half a second, Syaoran was on the floor, shocked, defeated and completely soaked from head to toe. With a shuddering gasp he realized just how powerful the newly captured card was. The sleeve on his short had been torn, and no blood was flowing. She had timed it perfectly, with no flaw as though she had been training for twice as long as Syaoran. On top of that, Sakura wielded the skill of a pure naturalist.  
  
"Are you alright?" Sakura asked, taking in a deep lungful. She hadn't expected such a large amount of energy to be needed. Dialing up her stats on the game watch on her wrist, she saw indeed that her magic stats had been reduced to less than half.  
  
"Whoa, you kicked his ass!" Eriol said with a grin as he leapt down from the tree.  
  
"I'm fine." Syaoran snapped, ignoring Eriol's remark.  
  
Tomoyo stood rather speechless as she appeared from behind of the trunk of a large oak.  
  
"That was probably the best improvisation of fencing I've ever seen." Kero said, crossing his arms.  
  
Sakura didn't answer, she just flopped over onto the now muddy ground, trying to make her head stop pounding.  
  
"Sakura!" Tomoyo said as she rushed over to her friend and picked her up.  
  
"She'll get used to it." Yue said dismissively, not particularly worried after what he had just seen.  
  
"We should Syaoran to carry her back since he lost." Eriol said with a mischievous grin.  
  
"Speaking of Syaoran. where is he?" Kero asked, looking around.  
  
~*~  
  
Syaoran pounded the door open, tossing his family sword onto the table. Cracking his knuckles, he delivered a ferocious punch to the wall, pressing his sweaty forehead on the wall as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.  
  
'I've never been beaten so badly before!' he thought angrily to himself, 'especially by someone who had never even held a sword before this!'  
  
With a sudden inspiration, he flopped onto his bed, trying to make peace with the raging inferno inside of him. Comparing both his and Sakura's statistics on his watch, he saw with a mounting dismay that they were both at the same level with similar powers and strengths, except Sakura's special ability menu was more expanded. Syaoran did have a huge disadvantage though. No only did he have more experience, but his attack and defense were higher.  
  
'So how did I lose?' Syraon said as he shut his eyes, 'it had to be more than that attack! Had to.' 


	9. Chapter 9: Get Lost!

The bar/inn that the group was staying at was positioned conveniently inside a large oasis, a large, overly green forest of trees standing in a sea of brown and white sand. By early that morning, the six of them set off, equipped with a renewed stock of energy, but by midmorning, Eriol and Syraon were at it again, with Yue and Kero arguing sport statistics in the background.  
  
"This is ridiculous," Tomoyo said as she shielded herself with a parasol.  
  
"You look like a damsel in distress." Sakura teased, scrolling through map in her hand.  
  
"Dude, you have no idea what you're talking about!" Syaoran snapped, scanning around the savanna.  
  
"I'm telling you, that volcano Sakura was talking about is that way!" Eriol fretted, pointing in a completely different direction than they were traveling.  
  
'I think Eriol's right.' Sakura thought to herself.  
  
"I don't think that's the right direction." Tomoyo said to Eriol.  
  
At this, his mouth snapped shut. As they continued on their way, panic began mounting at the bottom of Sakura's throat. Biting her lip, she silently told herself that they were more experienced in the game. But the maps couldn't have been wrong, and Syraon was clearly traveling without the use of one.  
  
As she opened her mouth to confirm Eriol's opinion, a storm began, blowing sand into all their eyes.  
  
"Oh yes, I really remember being hit with a sand storm on the way to the Fire Card." Eriol shouted over the strong roar of the wind.  
  
"Eriol was right, we were supposed to head towards that huge obelisk we saw a few hours ago!" Sakura said as she shielded herself and Tomoyo with the delicate parasol the girl had been using earlier.  
  
"Be careful, that's a silk umbrella!" Tomoyo said as she grasped Sakura's shoulders and checking to see if her friend was ok.  
  
Sakura silently cursed at herself. She should've said something earlier.  
  
Within a few more minutes of waiting for the storm to die down, Syaoran twirled around and demanded why Sakura hadn't spoken up earlier.  
  
"Maybe it's because you too busy acting like a big shot!" Sakura snapped as she yanked out her feet, which were buried below the surface.  
  
"Excuse me?" Syaoran asked in shock.  
  
"You heard me." Sakura grumbled as she turned to head back. "The last thing I need is a big strong man to take care of me."  
  
"If it weren't for me, Hydra would have fried you." Syaoran yelled after her.  
  
"That's right, you helped and I'm grateful for that, but please, don't get your ego inflated." Sakura said as she helped Tomoyo pick up her newly scattered belongings.  
  
"Wow, talk about feminism." Yue muttered quietly to Kero.  
  
"Girl power is an admirable thing." His friend replied.  
  
"This is just a game to you, isn't it?" Syoaran said as he turned his tone deathly quiet, "Some people have something actual riding on the outcome of this game."  
  
"It's unnecessary to mention that right now." Yue reminded, as he threw his arm over his friend and punched him playfully in the gut.  
  
"Sorry for not standing up for you earlier Eriol." Sakura whispered quietly as the group turned around. Trying to keep her hair from flying in all sorts of directions, she quickly untied the scarf around her waist, knotting it into her hair.  
  
Eriol smiled at her and went back to silently assessing a map of his own, which seemed more detailed and accurate than Sakura's.  
  
"My map is newer if that's what you're wondering." He said simply, "I can upload onto your own menu if you want."  
  
"Sure." Sakura grinned, happy to be on peaceful terms with at least one of them.  
  
"Kero, we need your extension chord." Eriol called, snapping the black wire gracefully out of the air as it was thrown.  
  
With a few lessons on how to operate the little watch on Sakura's wrist, she was equipped with a new map and along with a full list of new abilities including flight and the ability to pack energy heated bombs into her hands which were contributed by Yue, Kero, Eriol and even by Syaoran. Covering her eyes from the blindingly bright sun, she sent a smile in Syaoran's direction, letting him know that there were no hard feelings.  
  
Syaoran caught her look and let the corners of his mouth twitch upward, making Sakura realize just how lovely he looked when he was happy, which was worth more than all the reason in the world to stay in the game.  
  
~*~  
  
"Looks like we're sleeping on the sand tonight." Sakura said sadly, as she sat herself down, grateful that the sun had finally started setting.  
  
"I'm going to go look for firewood or something." Kero said, grabbing Yue by the collar and dragging him off.  
  
"I'll help." Tomoyo said kindly, following them.  
  
"Well jeez, I don't wanna stay here!" Eriol sniffed as he got up and left.  
  
'Looks like it's just me and Sakura.' Syaraon thought to himself as he laid himself down and looked up at the sky, which had started turning purple, pink and orange.  
  
"I've never been able to watch a sunset before." Sakura murmured as she pulled her knees to her chin.  
  
"Nice for something that's not even real." Syaoran agreed.  
  
"But if you think about it. what do you define as real?" Sakura wondered out loud, "I mean."  
  
Syaoran let her trail off, knowing exactly what she meant. He turned over to his stomach, which brought him nearly an inch away from Sakura.  
  
They both stayed there in complete silence, hearing nothing but the sand whistling through the air and stars stream into the sky that was turning a navy blue. When this happened, when the sky began filling with diamonds that questioned everything you were, Syaoran and Sakura both swore in their hearts that they could hear each other's hearts gain speed, beating so quickly that their chests hurt.  
  
~*~  
  
Between heaved chortles, Syaoran said, "So let me get this straight, your brother once called you a girly girl who couldn't stand up for herself?"  
  
"He was in one of his harsher moods." Sakura informed.  
  
"Did you stand up for yourself then at least?"  
  
"I really don't remember." Sakura said as she wiggled around in her sleeping bag.  
  
"You sure are a lot stronger than a lot of the other girls I know." Syaoran said.  
  
"Stronger how?" Sakura asked, looking him in the eye.  
  
Not even blinking, he replied with the confidence of someone who had never been proven wrong. "Because you're not afraid to be. As in you won't stop when it comes to things that are wrong and unfair, as in you're not scared of who you are."  
  
Sakura closed her eyes and pressed her head against a pillow. "I sure don't feel strong sometimes. I was pretty darn scared when that sand storm kicked up."  
  
"You don't even feel awkward when you admit it too." Syaoran said with a smile, and then added as an after thought, "Which is a lot more I can say about myself."  
  
"Ok you lovebirds, stop drooling over each other and give me a hand." Yue shouted, an empty voice that Sakura didn't think applied to them.  
  
"They're not talking about us." Syaoran assured, glancing up at his friends.  
  
Yue sprinted into view, followed closely by Kero. Tomoyo and Eriol followed a great deal behind, not even attempting to catch up.  
  
"What happened?" Syaoran asked, grabbing Kero's sleeve as he walked toward them.  
  
"Tomoyo and Eriol were attacked by these huge ugly dog things." Kero said stoutly, looking relieved that his friends were unhurt.  
  
"That was quite the adventure." Eriol said with a grin as he leapt up beside his comrades. "Hey. why are you two sleeping so close to each other?"  
  
"We were just talking." Syaoran said calmly, as if daring the other to make further assumptions.  
  
"That's about as believably as the fact that Eriol saved both himself and Tomoyo from that monster." Yue said smartly with a chuckle.  
  
"You mean Tomoyo was the one to get them out of there?" Syaoran asked.  
  
"Can you believe it? She just took one look at that ugly thing and hit it on the nose with her umbrella. Eriol was cowering in the sand." Kero said proudly as he glanced at Tomoyo, who was hiding her bright pink cheeks with her parasol.  
  
"I was not!" Eriol objected, shooting daggers at his friends.  
  
The others burst out laughing, except for Sakura who got up to inspect her the other girl.  
  
"You alright?" Sakura asked gently, before realizing that she was being over protective of her friend.  
  
"Just fine Sakura." Tomoyo said, shuffling her feet. "Let's get to bed you guys." Yue said between hearty laughs.  
  
"Leave him alone!" Tomoyo stormed as she took one look at her friend.  
  
It was time for Sakura to start sniggering. It was getting more and more obvious by the minute that Tomoyo and Eriol cared a lot about each other, possibly more than regular friends would. This caused the others to nearly collapse in a heap of giggles.  
  
"Leave them alone!" Sakura yelled, getting irritated that the others were teasing Tomoyo and Eriol so relentlessly.  
  
At Sakura's angry tone, the three boys stopped, taking time to slap Eriol on the back and try to start a fire. Within moments, the group was circled around a fire, feeding off the dead wood and other things they had been able to find earlier.  
  
"You might want to take another blanket." Eriol said as he passed her a linen sheet, "It gets pretty cold in deserts at night."  
  
"I think I'll just leave now and see you guys in the morning." Sakura said, referring to the real world.  
  
"Take an hour break then come back in." Syaoran instructed, "But come back because we usually stay nights for a reason."  
  
Nodding and getting up, Sakura activated the 'exit' function on her watch, feeling her body tingle as she was surrounded by blue light. Given another sharp crack, Sakura felt her mind being transported back to its body, her consciousness flying through virtual tunnels made of masses of colored light.  
  
When it all ended, Sakura stirred, back in the comfort of her living room.  
  
"Welcome Sakura." Fujitaka said with a smile as he turned his attention back to his latest gadget.  
  
"How are things at the University?" Sakura asked, wondering about the latest exploits of her father's job.  
  
"Fantastic." Fujitaka answered absentmindedly, carefully screwing in a few bolts,  
  
"I guess it's time to attack my pile of homework, hu?" Sakura said with a grin as she saw the stack of papers on the table.  
  
"Nope, that's MY homework." Fujitaka said, looking up. "Yours is in the hallway because Touya couldn't make it to your room with that giant mound of paper."  
  
Sweat dropping, she stepped into the hallway, nearly fainting when she saw all the assignments, knowing that some were only single sheets, probably asking for book reports or essays. 'How long have I been in that game?' Sakura thought to herself, as she gathered the ones on the top and gallivanted off to her room. Heaving the stack onto her desk, she could barely recall why she had decided to join the advanced honor classes in the first place. This was however, her last year of junior high, and to get into the best high school, she would have to study hard.  
  
Rounding the textbooks into her lap, she attacked the pile of homework with the precision and passion of a war general to the enemy, tearing through the sheets with scribbles and high-speed calculation, humming along to the radio. With a half hour left, Sakura made her third trip downstairs, gathering about twenty blank assignments from the decreasing pile.  
  
"That's about a hundred pieces of paper, hey squirt?" Touya said, appearing in the doorway with his hands stuffed in his pockets.  
  
"Yea, just about." Sakura said, sweeping a book report to the side, being too busy with her work to be angry with her brother.  
  
"Holy cow, how fast do you read?" Touya asked, picking up the folder.  
  
"I've already read them all." Sakura said with a smile.  
  
"Good job kaiju, nobody's ever going to come even close to catching up with you if you keep this us." Touya said with a grin as he rustled her hair and shut the door behind her.  
  
"I'll get you back for that oni-sama." Sakura whispered to herself, pulling out her calculator and preparing to butcher some math equations.  
  
~*~  
  
"Dad, the game. it's not working." Sakura said breathlessly, feeling panic weld up in her throat.  
  
"It's not?" Fujitaka said surprised, poking his head through the door.  
  
Sakura shook her head, praying that she wouldn't end up letting her friends down. Already an hour and a half had already past.  
  
While Fujitaka tinkered with the modem of the VR game, he talked Sakura into taking a shower, assuring her that it'd calm he nerves.  
  
"Besides," Touya said slyly, "You smell like you haven't bathed for days."  
  
Blowing a raspberry at her brother on the way out, she clambered up the stairs. With a toss of her sweater and shake of her hair, Sakura climbed into the stall, relaxing as she felt waves of hot water wash over her body. If only she could play the VR game while showering.  
  
~*~  
  
"The system is completely crashed." Touya said, shaking his head as she glanced down at the modem.  
  
Connecting and reconnecting a few more wires to the visor, Fujitaka didn't look too happy as he glanced down at the tangle of chord at his feet. Seating himself on the couch, he put his head in his hands. He had checked the configuration, computer assimilation, data inputs and outputs, everything he could think of! Unless somebody had sabotaged the network from the inside, there was no possible way that a state of the art VR game would be dysfunctional.  
  
"Alright Dad, who do you think did it?" Touya asked, taking one look at his father's solemn face.  
  
"A professional computer hacker, no doubts, ifs or buts about it." He replied, massaging his temple.  
  
"So." Touya trailed off.  
  
"We have to crack the PC code for it." Fujitaka said, getting to his feet and retrieving his labtop.  
  
"Which could take."  
  
"Far longer than it takes for Sakura to take a shower and find out what happened." Fujitaka said breathlessly, booting up the small computer.  
  
"We're gonna see some fireworks tonight." Touya said with a sly grin as he heard the bathroom door shut.  
  
"You're afraid of that temper too, aren't you?" Fujitaka asked curiously.  
  
The two laughed at that and returned the exact same knowing look to each other. Sakura had the same passionate distemper as her mother, never putting up with anything less than fair. Or broken in this case. 


	10. Chapter 10: I Won't!

"So, you're saying you can't do anything about it?"  
  
"Yes, because I don't have an extra controller for you!" Syaoran said angrily.  
  
Sakura relented, staring him dead in the eye, "No need to be so rude about it!"  
  
"Well, what did you think I was trying to tell you?" Syaoran spat.   
  
Sakura felt her temper flare. "Who do you think you are? I came here to ask for help and you just bite my head off!"   
  
Syaoran looked away for a moment, as though contemplating something. After a moment, he snatched a piece of paper off his desk, "Take this then." He said, slapping it into her hand.   
  
Sakura looked down at it. It had an address. She looked up at him.  
  
"Tomoyo's house. You can take my bus pass too." Syaoran turned on his heel and left. After a few moments of quiet conversation with his sister and several bangs and sounds of rummaging, he returned.  
  
He handed it too her, placing the blue card in her hand. Something about him seemed different about him in real life. Later on, while she would be walking out the door, she'd think that maybe he held onto her finger just a little bit longer that he was supposed too.  
  
~*~  
  
"Is Tomoyo-san here?" Sakura asked midly, as she stood in the door way of a large victorian mansion. She had endured a bumpy bus ride and a few wrong turns to get here.  
  
The house maid nodded, ushering Sakura inside. With a flick of her gloved hand, the woman, who had introdued herself as Nora, pressed the button on the intercom.   
  
"Alright, I'm coming right down." Came a staticy voice through the speaker.  
  
When a few minutes passed, a dark haired girl stood at the top of the staircase.   
  
"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo squealed as she ran downstairs to greet her friend. "What happened to you? We had to pause the entire game when you didn't come back!"  
  
Nora suddenly huffed in agitation and fled, her apron flapping out behind her.  
  
"Nani?" Sakura said in confusion as she watched the older woman leave.  
  
"She doesn't approve of those games," Tomoyo sighed, "I'm afraid she's a bit old-fashioned."  
  
"Opposed to those who are too modern." Sakura said unhappily, remembering her father and his pretentious habits.  
  
"That's definetely true." Tomoyo said consolingly.   
  
"I guess I better just say why I'm here," Sakura smiled, "My game is completely crashed. Dad says that somebody had to hack into it to make it stop working like that."  
  
Tomoyo paused for a minute, "I understand. Well, you're in luck because I have an extra visor." Tomoyo said as she stepped up the stairs. "We'll go into my room. After we tell Mom you're here that is."  
  
~*~  
  
"Wow, that was a really really big dinner." Sakura said as she lazily flopped onto the bed.  
  
"Good thing your Dad let you stay, hm?" Tomoyo said with a happy wink.  
  
"Ready to play?" Sakura asked, feeling the weight of all that food settle into her stomach.  
  
"In a few." Tomoyo said as she picked up a camera on a desk, "This must really be your first time with VR, because we're not supposed to go in on a full stomach."  
  
"Which explains why Kero and Yue are always complaining of hunger!" Sakura chimed.  
  
They laughed together as Tomoyo move about the room, fiddling with cameras, adjusting lenses, and tidying cluttered desktops. Sakura shifted on the bed, glancing around the room. The room was lined with purple curtains that bordered the entire place, with a bed in the centre, complete with a canopy.  
  
"I'll show you a video I made!" Tomoyo said suddenly, pulling Sakura through the door.  
  
"Slow down Tomoyo!" Sakura yelped as they sped through the halls.  
  
Upon arrival at Tomoyo's home theatre, Sakura gaped at the large television screen while Tomoyo went to look for her disk.  
  
"Alright, here it is!" Tomoyo called excitedly as she waved the CD case around.  
  
Popping the disk into the DVD player, Tomoyo sat down on the cushy sofa next to Sakura.   
  
After a few seconds of having a flashing screen, it quickly changed to reveal the moment Sakura and Tomoyo had met. With cut up scenes from that time until now, the video presented several amusing scenes, such as Tomoyo and Eriol attacked by a giant dog, to the duel between Sakura and Syaoran. When it ended, Sakura clapped.  
  
"That was really good!" Sakura said with a grin.  
  
"Glad you like it!" Tomoyo replied. "I think it's time to get the others online now." She said, glancing at her watch.  
  
"Let's get going!" Sakura chirped.  
  
The two dashed back to Tomoyo's room. After some phone calls and the assembling of the other players, Sakura and Tomoyo were soon strapped to the helmets.  
  
~*~  
  
Sakura lay in the cool sand, running her fingers through the fine white grains. The stars above her were hung against the inky sky, which looked as though someone had ran a purple paintbrush over it.  
  
"Jesus, stop snoring, damnit!" Syaoran snapped at Eriol, who was snoozing away beside him.  
  
"He can't help it." Yue said as he placidly as he laid back against a tree.  
  
Tomoyo sighed loudly. "And to think I was hoping ot get some actual sleep."  
  
"Well, technically speaking, we all are kinda unconscious back in the real world." Kero said.  
  
"Tr-"  
  
With a loud rumble and the hiss of moving sand, a large crack spit out from the ground, with sand pouring into the large crevice.  
  
"What the-" Eriol said, snapping awake.  
  
"Tomoyo, move!" Sakura shouted as she saw the ground open up beneath her friend.  
  
The girl quickly scrambled out of the sleeping bag, backing up against her friends. A huge crack in the land had grown, cutting them off from anything that might have laid across it.  
  
The sky was slowly turning from a bluish purple to a fiery red. Sakura felt her knees buckle as the ground started rumbling. A large figure had appeared above them, looking as though its entire being were swallowed by flames.  
  
"Is that..." Tomoyo wondered out loud, as she looked up.   
  
Syaoran's face ashened as he stared at the creature.  
  
"The Fire Card."   
  
~*~  
  
Sakura felt a stining sensation across her forehead as she breathed in the stuffy air. It smelt of vomit and blood, and if you tried, you could smell the salt of tears that had ran down the faces of people long, long ago. At her feet was hardened lava, with bright red liquid bubbling and spitting as it oozed its way across the pit. She was in the heart of a volcano.  
  
Craning her neck for a better view, Sakura nearly cried out when a jolt of pain had started in the back of her neck.   
  
"Tomoyo? Eriol? SYAORAN?" Sakura accidently hollered the last name and blushed.  
  
After her voice had echoed through the chamber, Sakura heard what she thought at first was rumbling. But the galloping of hooves informed her of her mistake. There, in all his glory as he appeared from a corner, was the Fire Card, with the human part of his body reared to its full height.  
  
"A centaur?" Sakura asked herself. It seemed like it, but the human skin on his arms and face was red...  
  
"Or whatever you humans want to call me." His voice sounded like twigs snapping under someone's shoes.  
  
Sakura smiled weakly, wondering if it was indeed or a joke or not. After several seconds of staring at his gargantuan figure, Sakura finally said, "Where are my friends?"  
  
He laughed, the same rumbling sound she had heard before. "Probably grieving your disappearance." At this he loomed closer, staring straight through Sakura as though he already knew everything she was and wasn't. "But never mind that. You have my sister. Release her, or suffer the consequences."  
  
Sakura gulped. "No. I'll fight you for her. I worked hard to capture her, and I won't give it up without a fight."  
  
He positively roared in hysterics this time. "My name is Pyrel, and I glady, GLADY, accept you challenge."   
  
Sakura felt whatever was holding her release its grip. There she stood, alone and tired in a world of fire and heat. What was she going to do now? 


	11. Chapter 11: Duel Hearts and the Warrior ...

Sakura looked down at the battle-ravaged space below her. Hunks of rock were strewn about, with lava spewing from miscellaneous cracks. A geyser of molten ash was roaring in front of her. She stood on the ledge in her singed boots, feeling apprehensive, but definitely not uncertain. Above all this, she was dead tired.  
  
"Not running low now, are we?" Pyrel boomed from below. He shuffled his hoofed foot and snorted.  
  
Sakura peered down at him from her hiding space. Hoping that she wasn't in danger of doing anything overly reckless she leapt down, catching the Fire Card by surprise.  
  
With a swing of her sword and a spell to summon Hydra the Water Card, a miniature tsunami exploded from the ground, submerging every surface in shockingly cold water. Pyrel bellowed in agony as he felt his skin burn and steam.  
  
"With this Sakura!" Syaoran shouted from the corner. He threw her a staff of some sort, which landed with a clatter at her feet.  
  
"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked, as she looked at him in wonderment. "Where'd you come from?"  
  
"Fight now, apologies later." He stated shortly. He took a step forward when he saw Pyrel regain his composure. Neither Syaoran nor Pyrel looked very happy.  
  
Letting out a bellow of pure rage, Pyrel appeared at Sakura's side, knocking her to the ground with fists covered in embers.  
  
"Sakura!" Syaoran shouted. He bolted towards her, only to be stopped in his tracks by a wall of fire that had sprung from the hard rock floor.  
  
Sakura watched from the ground and groaned as she felt the full impact of the attack she had been dealt. Her hand fumbled for the weapon Syaoran had thrown at her, since her own sword/staff had been knocked into the air. Grasping the handle, she immediately felt its magical properties surge through her being.  
  
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a hail of ice was hurled at the opposing wall between Syaoran and Sakura, causing it to dissipate. Yue and Kero stood at the entrance, looking very smug and pleased with themselves.  
  
Eriol stood behind them, smirking. He took at Syaoran's flabbergasted face and said, "What? You'd think we'd let you run off and be the hero on your own?"  
  
Sakura laughed as she returned to her feet, feeling strength return at the sight of her friends. Syaoran however, showed enough spunk and haughtiness to respond to Eriol with a rude gesture.  
  
Tomoyo came sprinting up behind them, looking worried and anxious. "Sakura-san?"  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura cried.  
  
"Sakura, stop talking and CATCH HIM, DAMNIT!!!" Syaoran screamed in agitation, bombarding Pyro with fiery shale.  
  
The girl nodded and placed the staff between her hands. It was made of heavy, green wood, and sported an intricate design at the top, where it flared into the shape of a bell. 'It sure is an awkward weapon.' Sakura thought to herself as she channeled energy into it. Within moments, Sakura felt a lightheadedness form in the pit of her stomach. Balls of light were rotating around her body as she felt awesome power grow in her hands and take shape.  
  
"Pyrel, Card of Fire and Warrior of Passion, I conceal you to your binds!" Sakura shouted as a beam of light emanated from the tip of her staff, wrapping itself around Pyrel's weakened body. He roared in defeat as his body was sucked into the shape of a card. It flew to Syaoran's feet and he grinned.  
  
Sakura quickly fell to her knees, feeling exhaustion invade her system again. She was halfway done her journey, and things would soon be inevitably clear. All that and more would happen, as soon as she found a way to wipe that arrogant smirk of Syaoran Li's face.  
  
~*~  
  
"You were AMAZING, Sakura!" Tomoyo chirped as she nestled into her blankets.  
  
Sakura didn't answer; just lay on the floor quietly as she began slipping into a peaceful sleep.  
  
The two had just gotten back from their previous exploit of capturing the Fire Card. Tomoyo had insisted her friend spend the night and Sakura had gladly accepted.  
  
"It's alright Sakura," Tomoyo whispered as she took her friend's hand, recalling one of the earlier events. "You have the Water Card, remember?"  
  
Sakura nodded in appreciation of her friend. With a swift realization, she bolted upright.  
  
"What? What is it?" Tomoyo asked in confusion.  
  
"I think Eriol likes you." Sakura said passively as she churned the thought in her had.  
  
"NANI?" Tomoyo demanded, as she jumped out of bed to join her friend on the floor.  
  
Sakura gave her friend a sly sideways glance. "Mm-hum."  
  
"Sakura, I..." Tomoyo said quietly as she looked at her hands.  
  
"Never mind. If it embarrasses you, I'll stop talking." Sakura said with a smile, and with that, she wiped away a stray strand of hair off Tomoyo's forehead.  
  
~*~  
  
"Good job Syaoran but..."  
  
Syaoran lifted his gaze to meet Kero's stare, his face shadowed. "But we can't find the next card."  
  
"Not without Sakura." Yue agreed.  
  
Eriol jumped down from the tree he was sitting in and landed at Syaoran's feet. He got up and stared him in the eye, "You're not happy even about this, are you?"  
  
Syaoran nodded and smiled bitterly. He got up and walked onto the soccer field where his next game would take place. Dropping the soccor ball that had been tucked under his arm onto the floor, he began dribbling the ball around the field, juggling it on his knees and forehead as he went along.  
  
"Syaoran-kun, it's time to go." Kero said gently as he watched his friend stop and droop his head.  
  
The brown haired boy turned around, his expression hollow. His friends knew what was going on; he didn't know who or what he was anymore.  
  
Eriol came up and put a hand on Syaoran's shoulder. Whether either of them wanted to admit it, they were the best of friends and the worst of rivals. Eriol smiled and said, "Suck it up princess, life goes on with or without you. Get on the damned beast and RIDE."   
  
And with that fairly vulgar remark, Eriol readjusted his glasses and bid farewell to the others.  
  
Syaoran turned to watch him go, with his jacket flapping in the wind. 'Even though things change for better or worse, I think they're all trying to tell me that somethings stay the same, no matter the consequence. Atleast I know I'll have my friends when I need them, right?'  
  
~*~  
  
Sakura sat on the floor in the middle of the night, with moonlight filtering onto her blankets and resembling liquid lead. She weaved the seemingly thin sheets between her fingers, breathing heavily and sweating through her pajamas. She looked at the clock and groaned inwardly. Three A.M was a fine time to wake up. Admitting defeat and getting up, she glanced around. Tomoyo was soundly asleep and looked as though she wasn't about to wake up for a long time.  
  
Sakura settled herself back down and realized it could be worse. She could be out looking for a washroom and be lost. She was hesitant about going to back to sleep though. Somebody was invading her sleep, and she wasn't so sure about letting him stay in there.  
  
~*~  
  
Eriol wandered down the posh streets of his neighborhood, breathing in night air and contemplating whether to go have a smoke or not. If Yue and Kero ever found out, they'd probably beat his addiction out of him. Including Syaoran. Especially Syaoran.  
  
He turned another corner, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The temperature was dropping fast, so quickly that he could see puffs of steam rise from his mouth. Sensing something was wrong, he tucked up his collar and quickened his pace. A strange tingling sensation was crawling up his back, a feeling he usually got when something was about to happen.   
  
Eriol, with his ashy blue hair and fine-rimmed glasses was scared, and heading home as quickly as he could.  
  
~*~  
  
"You're not kidding, are you?" Syaoran questioned as he stared Eriol in the eye.   
  
Eriol nodded and said, "That's why I'm going back."  
  
"Hot damn, it's early." Yue said and beckoned to the clock, which read 3:30am. "Yeesh, you just had to call everybody over to my house, didn't you?"  
  
"I wonder what it could've been." Kero said as he pondered the statement. Nobody said anything about Eriol imagining anything though, they all considered it insulting.  
  
"Alright, let's go find out what's happening in there." Yue said.  
  
They all agreed to leave at that very moment. Yue, being a packrat, had several visors for the others to use. Within seconds, they were off.  
  
~*~  
  
After talking with the others, Syaoran stood alone at the edge of a field, trying to train. He had chosen an isolated location, a grassy area dotted with trees.  
  
"Northwind Blizzard!" he shouted as he raised his swords to strike the ground. However, he was interrupted by a small disk of lightning, which nearly maimed him on the side of the head.  
  
"Gomenesai!" A figure said as she popped out from behind him, "I hope-"  
  
Syaoran wheeled around, "Sakura?"  
  
"Syaoran?"  
  
"BAKA!! Watch where the hell you're aiming!!!" Syaoran yelled angrily.  
  
Sakura twitched but didn't say anything.  
  
"Why can't you just stay out of my way?"  
  
Sakura opened her mouth, remembering the pang of worry she had felt when she saw Syaoran jump up to protect her against the Fire Card, "Maybe I will! It might teach you not to be so ungrateful!"  
  
And with that she stormed off, leaving behind a speechless Syaoran. 


	12. Chapter 12: The Inquisitive Proposition

Sakura stood breathless, poised with a sword in hand on a hungry savannah. The ground beneath her was soden and dry, and the dust was whipping her eyes.   
  
A boy roughly her age was charging at her, his dagger-like scimitar glaring against the sun.   
  
Sakura blinked, balancing her weight on her spread apart feet. Within seconds, the two were once again engaged in a metal gridlock, swinging and slashing in rythm, as though it were a dance.   
  
Desolation was creeping into the girl's mind. Already she had used her Water Card, which had little to no effect. Whoever this person was, he had the skills of a trained swordsmaster and if she wasn't careful, she could be in real trouble on this on.  
  
Swing, step, side-lock, block, jab, upward thrust. . . the movements came to her spontaneously, and she heard nothing but their heavy footsteps and the sound of steel against steel.   
  
"My, I'm impressed!" The boy said, gliding towards her.   
  
Sakura swung at his jaw, catching him off gaurd. The attack had left him a thin, even line underneath his chin.   
  
He wasn't done with her yet. Backflipping out of harm's way, he lowered his sword and mist surrounded him in whirls as a strange chanting cascaded through the air. Like a story teller weaving tales, an energy began taking shape, making lines of light shoot through the ground. Aware of danger, Sakura took a step back, letting out a small gasp as the lines of light took shape on the ground, forming a picture of the moon and sun.  
  
"Ready?" He asked, as though he already knew the answer.  
  
Sakura didn't wait another second. Snapping her sword back into a wand she said, "Power of Clow, hear my words."   
  
As she uttered this, she began calling upon her own strength to guide her, along with Pyrel, the Card of Fire. "Ancients of the soul, I call you for your passion, the bright flame that burns inside of ourselves. Neo genesises of the future, summon me. . . Pyrel! The Card of Fire!"  
  
In a circle, as through it were trying to break free from the chains of hell, molten rock began spurting from the ground, accompanied by pyres of flame.   
  
Her assailant had already finished his spell. With a sharp fling of his sword, a crack of lightning was hurling at Sakura, sparking and sizzling as it burned its way through the air.   
  
Sakura twirled her wand in the air, ready to receive the blow. A shield of fire sprung out to defend her, as the powerful lightning pounded against it.   
  
"My turn," Sakura said, her voice slightly raspy from exertion.  
  
She slammed the head of her wand into the ground, as a trail of volcannic fire exploded through the dirt. The boy jumped into the air to dodge her attack; exactly what she had been hoping for.  
  
She had never before attempted to do what she was about to. Already, the use of two Cards had drained her.  
  
"Magic under my command, I call the Spirits of Fire and Water! Hydra and Pyrel, attack as one!"   
  
Fire and Water spurt from the tip of Sakura's wand, which was held up high into the air. The two powers twisted around each other, joining to create a thick mist that clouded its way over the battle field.  
  
Sakura stumbled onto her knee, gasping. It was hard to breath in this heavy moisture and she was already out of breath. But for the moment, she was safe from her anonymous attacker.  
  
"Running never helped anyone," she heard him say softly.   
  
Stalling for a bit more time, she stayed still, motionless as she was soundless. While she was busy rejuvenating, she was struck with an idea. After all, why shouldn't it work? Hydra and Pyrel were already on the field, lurking somewhere in the fog.  
  
The boy, with his black her and thin-framed glasses, was busy scanning the area, trying ot see through the thick mist. 'Stupid girl. . .' he thought snidely. Didn't she know that water conducted electricity?  
  
He raised his wand, and started an entirely new spell. A dangerous and entirely too cataclysmic attack that could permanently wipe any player out of the virtual world. He was cut short however, when a pillar of water materialised out of the fog, hitting him square in the chest.  
  
He gawked at the surprise attack. She had been able to pinpoint his exact location by sensing his magical aura. She had called upon the fog as some sort of magical transporter, using it to attack him from any angle she desired.   
  
This time, a barrage of fireballs were shooting out of the sky, undampened by the thick cloud. He didn't realize it had ever existed until it knocked him to the ground, leaving burn marks on his chest.  
  
Immediately, the fog cleared and Sakura seized the opportunity to attack. Returning her staff to its original form as a sword, she charged, blasting towards him full force.   
  
"Wait! Stop!" He cried.  
  
Sakura heard his plea, and slowed down. Unwilling to let her gaurd down, she bristled slightly and tensed. What did he have in mind now?  
  
"My name. . . is Spinel Sun. I am a virtual game hopper, and since I am, I declare you the winner."  
  
"Virtual game hopper?" Sakura asked. Syaoran would have known what that was. The though of him made her regret leaving him. If she hadn't lost her temper, she wouldn't have gotten into this fight in the first place.  
  
"I travel through games using the reed.com connection. I hunt down the best game players and see what they're made of."  
  
He didn't stop there. Oh no, because what he was about to say next interested Sakura the most.  
  
"And I have an interesting proposition for you."  
  
~*~  
  
"What the hell do you MEAN you can't find her?" Syaoran yelled, angrily eyeing his friends.  
  
"Baka (idiot)!" Eriol shouted, just as frustrated as Syaoran was, "But if you hadn't pissed her off, we wouldn't be looking for her, WOULD WE?"  
  
Before the two could end up brawling and beating the crap out of each other, Tomoyo stepped in with a worthy peace offering.  
  
"Why didn't you guys just use the map to find her?"   
  
"Ah yes, a brilliant idea Tomoyo-chan." Kero said enthusiastically.   
  
"Kuso (shit)," Yue incoherently muttered to himself. "I cannot believe we didn't think of that!"  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Syaoran demanded, "Let's get going!"  
  
"I think he thinks that this is some sort of race to find her." Tomoyo said, looking at Syaoran as he rushed away.  
  
"Actually, I just think that's the way he gets when he's worried about someone," Eriol informed. 


End file.
